Start with a tuft of your base color about 2” long. (The fiber pulls apart more easily if you place your hands about 4-5 inches apart and pull gently.)

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2. Loosen the fiber

Loosen the tuft a bit, pulling the sides to flatten the fiber and make it wispy.

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3. Fold and the roll fiber

Fold the fiber and roll loosely into a not-at-all-perfect oval, approx. 1.25″ long.

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4. Start your poking

Place the oval on the foam and gently poke the needle into the fiber.

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♥ ….

Bonus Tip for The People: Gentle pokes work best. The business end of the needle is only an inch at the tip. Poke any further than that and it’s a waste of your efforts.

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5. Poke it all over

Use gentle pokes all over to form a head shape, moving it around the foam. (Moving it helps keep the head from permanently sticking to the foam.)

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6. Add fiber

Continue gently poking the head from all sides. If it’s about the right size but not as thick or as shapely as you’d like, pull a little more roving, loosely wrap it around the head and keep poking. Repeat as needed.

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7. Flat head (hee hee)

Gently poke the back of the head to make a flatter area, future home to the glued-on magnet.

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8. Make an ear

Gently pull a tuft of wool, about 1” long and roll it up into a loose not-at-all-perfect log.

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♥ ….

Ooh, Look! A Tip!: Even when you are poking at an angle, make sure your needle goes in and out in the same direction. Otherwise, it could snap.

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9. Ear-y

Gently poke the ear all over to begin building its shape.

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10. Ear top

Fold one end of the log over and poke it down. Continue poking the ear all over, leaving the bottom of the ear fuzzy.

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11. Inside ear

Gently poke the inside of the ear to further shape the contour. (Repeat step 6 as needed to make the ear thicker and stronger.)

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12. Ear detail

Take a very small wisp of accent color fiber and roll it between your fingers into a thinish log.

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13. Ear inflection

Take wispy log and use gentle pokes to begin fastening it to the inside surface of the ear.

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14. Keep poking!

Use tiny pokes along the edge of the accent color to flatten and create the shape. Add more tiny bits of fiber and poke as needed.

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15. Attach the ear

With the head on the foam, hold an ear in place and gently poke the fuzzy end into the head wherever you think it goes.

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16. Even more poking

Poke the ear on all sides of the base. Add a small wisp of fiber if needed to make sure the ear is permanently attached.

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17. Make eyes

Use a small wisp of white fiber and gently poke it into place to start an eye.

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18. Shape the eye

Gently poke the edges of the eye towards the center. This will make it even more secure while creating a puffy shape.

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19. Eye see you!

Take a teeny-weeny bit of black fiber and poke it into the center of the eyeball.

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20. Mouthy

Take a small wisp of black and poke it into the face wherever you think it should go.

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21. Mouthy, too

Poke and add tiny wisps as needed to shape your new friend a word hole. Use the same techniques in step 14 to refine the shape and edges of the mouth.

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22. Nothing but the tooth

Use a small wisp of white fiber and gently poke it into place on the mouth. Use the same techniques in step 14 to refine the shape and edges of the tooth.

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23. Put glue on the magnet

Add some glue to the back of the enclosed magnet.

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24. Stick it!

Place the gluey pin surface onto the back of your flower and let it dry completely. Make sure to follow the instructions on your glue because, like snowflakes, all glues are different.

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You did it! You totally felted, so… that means you’re a felter now! Sweet.